those sneaky outlet bastards.. 5 tips for the next time you go to the outlets

so this was a post i did awhile back and i thought i'd share it again because it's actually some good advice! go me back in the day.

these are tips for when you're shopping at outlet stores and tricks to keep in mind while doing so that i read in an article back in 2013.. here's what they had to say. along with a little of my two cents.

one. location: if you've ever noticed, they locate outlet malls wayyy out of the way or right off an interstate in the middle of freakin' nowhere. according to the article, it's the psychological reasoning. if they make you drive far, you're thinking hey i need to make my trip worth it. so you'll end up buying things you wouldn't normally buy. not to mention the land that the mall is sitting on is probably very inexpensive. 

two. return policies: the article says to make you sure you know the return policy! MOST outlet stores will only let you return merchandise back to another outlet. you can't return them to the same store at the mall. so read the receipt or ASK before you buy if you aren't sure about the item(s) you're purchasing. i'm actually really anal about return policies because i'm a little bit of an impulsive buyer, so this was a sneaky sneak i already knew. yup cooler than you.

three. different merchandise: "outlet stores often do not have discounted merchandise from their mall counterpart. they instead have an entire line of clothing manufactured just for their factory stores. these clothes are usually made with less quality fabrics and even have different tags in them. be careful, the discount price may come with discount quality. some stores that do this are: banana republic, gap, & j crew." 

anyone else noticed this? i've bought some "lesser quality" clothing from the gap outlet and i noticed AFTER i washed them. i'm very picky how i wash drey's clothes and when they don't come out how they're supposed to, it's not because of me! hate you, gap! jk i love you. i thought maybe they threw in gimpy clothes that were messed with the mix (which i'm sure they do) and that's why they weren't washing as good. but after i read the article, it all made sense! those sneaky, sneaky bastards...

so watch out for lesser quality clothing, because let's be honest, if I want cheap clothes, i'll just shop at children's place. not that children's place is bad clothing, it's just cheap. but still cute.

four. reference pricing: so because they have their own line of clothing, most of the "retail price, our price" deals are totally made up. so by stores making you think you're getting a good deal, you'll spend MORE. guilty... :-|

five. non-outlets: this was something i didn't know... "just because you're at an outlet mall, doesn't mean all the stores are outlets." they may have a larger clearance rack than most stores but they aren't outlets. some sneaky stores who do this are: under armor and nike. 

and if you're like me, you love shopping at outlets and getting good deals. so now you can shop a little smarter next time you go! you're welcome.

original article source here